Sideways
by NewHampshireGirl
Summary: She was happy and bright and warm… so different then those boys being used to reign terror. When had those boys gone from happy, bright children to cold-blooded killers? Tag to "The Lost Boys", sequel of sorts to "Not So Lost After All", Tony/Zoe, McNozzo friendship, set in the "Raising Kaitlin" verse.


**Disclaimers:** I do not own NCIS or it's characters. Those belong to CBS and show creators.

 **Warnings:** Spoilers for "The Lost Boys", Tony/Zoe

 **A/N:** A few people wanted me to add more to "Not So Lost After All", so I wrote this. It's not really a continuation of that story, but it's the second part of a three part arc dealing with those last three episodes of season 12 and how Tony (and the team) is dealing with children being used as terrorist when they have a child (Kaitlin) heavily involved in their lives. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated :)

* * *

 **Sideways**

Saturday morning was a terrible time to meet a coffin at the airport.

Anthony DiNozzo glanced at himself in the mirror in the master bathroom and fixed his tie. When had the world gone so sideways? Or, had it always been this sideways and he had been blind to it because his life was in good standing? Either way, all he knew was that the world had gone sideways and he was desperately trying to keep it upright.

The door opened, gently, a low, slow creak echoed in the room and Tony looked down to see a little face look inside the bathroom. Kaitlin had enough intuition to know that Daddy dressing up on a Saturday meant something bad had happened. He offered her a sad smile. "Hi peanut. I see Zoe did your hair," he pointed out, admiring the double French braids that his girlfriend had pulled his daughter's hair back into. He had mastered pigtails and ponytails and regular braids, but French braids were another story. "It looks pretty."

"Zoe says that you aren't coming with us to the beach. Why not Daddy?" Kaitlin asked, a sad gleam in her eyes. "Do you have to go to work?"

"I have somewhere else to be this morning. You'll have fun with Zoe, I promise baby girl," Tony assured her, finishing his tie.

He crouched down to eye level with his daughter and looked her right in the eyes. "I packed your favorite beach lunch in the cooler. Plenty of juice boxes but make sure you share one with Zoe, okay?"

She frowned and nodded. "Okay. I promise. Do you think you'll make getting ice cream, Daddy?"

Tony didn't want to say yes and then not make it to the beach to get ice cream, although he was certain that once Ned's body was back at NCIS, Gibbs would let the team go for the day. But why did it feel like his daughter suffered more from the job than he did? He sighed and kissed her cheek. "Let's go find Zoe, bet she's looking for you."

Downstairs, Zoe was a contrast to Tony. She was dressed in jean shorts, cheap flip-flops and the top of a teal bathing suit was peeking out underneath her tank top. Her hair wad done in similar French braids like his daughter. She smiled at them. "There you are. Thought you ran off on me for a second, Kaitlin. Ready to go?"

Kaitlin looked at her father once more. There was a pensive look on her face, one that made her seem years older than the six she had been given so far. Her identical eyes showed disappointment. "I wish Daddy was coming with us."

Zoe glanced at Tony. Planning a beach trip between the two girls had been last minute, something to get Kaitlin out of the city for the day so she wasn't wondering why her father wasn't home on a Saturday. It was obvious that it wasn't working. "Maybe Daddy can join us later," the ATF agent offered, patting the child on the back and sending her out to the waiting car. She handed Tony the keys to her sports car. "I'm trusting you with something special to me," she teased, trying to lift his spirits.

Tony closed his fingers around the keys and captured her lips, passionately in a kiss. When he pulled back, he sighed, sadly. "I'm trusting you with something special to me, too," Tony said, seriously.

"She'll be fine once we get there, Tony," Zoe told him, pulling him in for another quick kiss. "Promise, I'll return her without a scratch."

"I know you will," Tony replied, glancing out the window at Kaitlin buckling herself into her car seat. "I trust you, Zoe."

"You've always trusted me, Tony," Zoe said, honestly. "That was never our issue in Philly, was it?"

"No. That was a lifetime ago," he mused, not wanting to go down memory lane today. "You should get going before she changes her mind."

He followed Zoe outside and stood in the driveway while she closed Kaitlin's door and climbed into the driver's seat. Tony waved to them and tried his best to smile at Kaitlin until the car had disappeared. Swallowing the bile in his throat, Bayar's words hit him hard in that moment— _when babies are used in the wars of men… God help us._

* * *

Timothy McGee watched the ocean water fly by him as Tony drove Zoe's little sports car along. After the team had met him at the base to be there for Ned, Gibbs had let them go for the day. Tony had thrown a change of clothes at Tim and ordered him to the beach.

Not wanting to argue with the SFA, Tim had done so. Now their suits were hanging in the back seat of the car, blowing in the breeze as Tony drove and the pair of NCIS agents were dressed in tee shirts, shorts and sandals. There were no signs that they had come from the base. No signs that they had been there to honor a fallen agent... well... with the exception of the dark circles underneath Tim's eyes, but one could argue that was from the lack of sleep the night before on the bumpy flight home.

His stomach grumbled reminding him that he had not eaten in a while. Tony said lunch would be waiting for him. He wasn't sure what Tony meant by that. He had been under the impression that Zoe had taken Kaitlin to the beach because Tony had to work. Of course, knowing the senior field agent he had slipped a lunch into the cooler for him and for his partner without Zoe even knowing.

She probably knew now. She wasn't dumb. Zoe had been a cop, was a federal agent. Observant. Tough, but not too tough. Tim leaned back and took a deep breath. He really liked Zoe. She was good for Tony.

Tony pulled the small car into a parking lot and threw it into park. He shut it down and fished out some money for the meter. Without a word he got out of the car and fed the machine. Tim joined him, the salty air and the sun hitting him all at once. It was actually relaxing, he realized.

"Come on, Probie," Tony instructed him. "This will be good for you."

"Spending the afternoon at home would have been good for me too," Tim tried to argue but it was a failure from the start.

"Delilah is working. You would have been alone. You shouldn't be alone today," Tony threw back.

Tim spotted Kaitlin, her bright pink bathing suit sticking out against the pale sand. She was building a sand castle, sprawled on on on her stomach. Zoe was sitting in a chair, her feet buried in the sand, reading a book. Seeing her wear nothing but a bathing suit, Tim could see why, perhaps, Tony had fled Philly… if he had been attracted to Zoe back then…

Kaitlin spotted them. She popped up from her spot, knocking over her castle and running full on at her father. "Daddy! Uncle Tim!" she cried as she jumped into Tony's arms. "Zoe and I knew you were coming! We found your lunch!"

Tony laughed and shook the sand out of her hair. "I see your braids came out," he said, smiling. She shrugged her shoulders and slid down the length of his body to the sand, running over to engulf Tim's legs in a tight hug. Tony had to laugh again as his partner's bare legs were covered in sand and mud. She then grabbed each of them by the hand and pulled them towards the area that Zoe had chosen to set up camp.

Zoe looked up from her book and smiled. "If you were trying to surprise us, Spider, leaving a lunch in plain view wasn't the best idea."

"Well, to be honest, I didn't know if Gibbs was really going to let us go. Just had a hunch."

"Everything went…alright then?"

Tim swallowed as he sat down on the blanket with Kaitlin. Alright? He wasn't sure that escorting a casket home was ever going to be alright… but he understood Zoe's choice of words with the little girl sitting near by. "It went as well as expected," he answered honestly.

Zoe gazed at him with sympathetic, dark brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Tim."

It wasn't going to change things but the sincerity in her voice made Tim realize that hearing it made him feel a little better. Or, it could be that Kaitlin was digging a hole and burying his feet in it. He was handed a sandwich by Tony and instructed to eat. "I'm…"

"Don't say you're not hungry," Tony admonished him. "I heard your stomach growling on the way here."

"Fine. I'll eat."

"Good boy, McGee."

Tim tossed him a glare. He knew that his partner was just trying to help and Tony really was helping. Tim was just so angry at the world right now. He took an angry bite of his sandwich and he decided for the rest of the day he was just going to do what Tony told him to do.

* * *

At sunset they were standing in line to get ice cream. Tony had packed the SUV up to go home, Kaitlin was plastered to his hip while he helped her read the flavors on the menu.

Tim wasn't paying much attention to anything or anyone in particular, just watching Tony with Zoe and Kaitlin. His partner seemed happy, if not a little more subdued than normal. And from a far no one would know that the couple and the little girl were a patched together family. Zoe had been the one to comb and rinse Kaitlin's hair, help her change out of her wet suit into dry clothes and was the one making sure that Tony did not give into the child's demands of a larger ice cream cone. _Just like a mom._ Tim had spent most of the last twenty four hours feeling lost, angry… going to the beach had helped him regain some sense of normalcy.

Kaitlin looked over her shoulder at him and gave a tired, sweet smile. Tim felt something pang inside of him. She was happy and bright and warm… so different then those boys being used to reign terror. When had those boys gone from happy, bright, warm children to cold-blooded killers? It was a terrible feeling knowing that those children had gotten lost somewhere. Tim wondered…prayed even… if they were going to be able to keep Kaitlin from that dark path.

Looking at her right now it was hard to imagine this little girl becoming anything but a bright light. Tim gave his head a little shake and when he looked up he saw Tony looking at him this time, concern, understanding in his eyes—he had the same fears for his daughter as Tim did.

 _When babies are used in the wars of men…God help us._


End file.
